Are We Ready for Condom Police?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-porn-condoms-20120705,0,1195723.story

So apparently citizens of the Los Angeles County will have the pleasure of voting for or against mandatory condom usage for adult film performers in explicit language on the ballot for the fall. Woohoo! Power to the people!

From a safety standpoint, namely preventing STIs from transmitting among pornstars, the ballot initiative makes sense. AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been lobbying for mandatory condom usage for years. It could not find any state wide politician taking up its cause (EVEN in liberal California?!) There apparently have been cases where young adult performers have contracted HIV/AIDS through sexual intercourse on the job, so as humorous as this sounds, it is a real issue for the multi-billion-dollar porn industry entrenched in LA county. Not only having sex without condom increases the health risks of participants, the act sends the wrong message to thousands of consumers of modern internet porn. 

This all makes sense, except one point; and please do pardon my ignorance and lack of imagination on – shall we say –  certain logistics in a mandatory condom usage law: HOW IN THE WORLD IS THE GOVERNMENT GOING TO ENFORCE IT!? I would rather not envisage a new legion of city employees, who are hired with taxpayer money and carry the professional title of Condom Inspector? 

Whistleblower: I suspect the guys in Juicy World next door are not using condoms!

Condom Inspector (Operator): O we will be there in a jiffy, no problem. One of our undercover agents snuck in some Viagra into Juicy World during our last arrest. We should be able to catch them in the act.

Yeah…

Education is crucial in empowering sexually active participants to make good healthy choices. Industry standards need to be revisited in order to mitigate health risks of contracting STIs. Employees and performers working in this industry need to be notified and educated fully on the risks involved in their job. Ultimately, the decision to be employed and to participate in certain acts is a conscious decision taken by the performer. Decisions have consequences. Government should stay out of individual decision making matrix, despite its good intentions. Beyond the mere impracticability of enforcing such a law, the government is encroaching upon private decisions. This level of paternalism undermines the human spirit by imposing government-knows-best solution in place of personal responsibility.  If TSA agents can grope private citizens at airports in the name of safety, and local police and government workers can “spot check” whether private employees are using condom or not in the name of safety, how much further can the government push the constitutional boundaries of privacy before the very notion of privacy and liberty will cease to exist.